Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

When a friend asked Owen Ashworth for a collection of gloomy original tunes, the fledgling composer responded with a mixtape he christened Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. The name stuck when he began playing solo gigs, accompanied by gently pulsing electronic beats and tinny melodies from chintzy synthesizers. Ashworth's vocals...

By Andrew Miller

November 27, 2008

Audio By Carbonatix

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When a friend asked Owen Ashworth for a collection of gloomy original tunes, the fledgling composer responded with a mixtape he christened Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. The name stuck when he began playing solo gigs, accompanied by gently pulsing electronic beats and tinny melodies from chintzy synthesizers. Ashworth's vocals lend emotional gravity to the whimsical backdrops. His delivery combines Stephin Merritt's depressive bass with Daniel Johnston's clipped, amateurish diction. Ashworth has worked on treating his Painfully Alone affliction, bringing additional musicians on recent outings, but this show will feature only the solitary performer and his basic battery-powered keyboards.

Andrew Miller

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